Man, 21, charged in the death of a pedestrian who was hit in Rogers

A 21-year-old Dayton man has been charged with two counts of criminal vehicular homicide in Hennepin County Court.

The Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office began investigating the fatal pedestrian crash that took place on May 25 this year in Rogers.

Dayton man charged with criminal vehicular homicide

An accident reconstruction report indicates the driver of the vehicle, Benjamin Witte, was traveling southbound on Rogers Drive when the vehicle drifted into the northbound lanes and ultimately struck a pedestrian.

The adult male victim was traveling on the northbound shoulder of the road. As a result of the crash, the victim died after sustaining severe head injuries, according to Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek.

The results of a blood test reveal the presence of marijuana in Witte’s system at the time of the crash, Stanek said. Officers also found drug paraphernalia including a glass pipe and small plastic bags at the scene of the crash.

“The driver of the vehicle admitted he smoked marijuana earlier in the day, and a blood test confirmed the drug was in his system. This type of behavior can have deadly consequences, and in this instance it did,” Stanek said.

Witte is currently not in custody and is scheduled to appear in court.

The Sheriff’s Office, Rogers Police Department and Minnesota State Patrol investigated the incident.